Hi Guys,

I've only had my E53 for a few weeks, but I am in love.I can see a whisker of truth in the the "starting to date" view, especially when I look at an older model with the 15" (?) rims, but it is still a GREAT looking car IMHO.

I actually bought the X5 for non visual reasons mainly. I went on a 3 hour ride with a mate in his 2005 3.0d, with him towing his rally car on my trailer, me as passenger. His car had so much pull I was seriously worried it would pull the drawbar off my trailer. At cruising speed, the car was so quiet and smooth, I forgot that there was 2.25 ton weight being pulled behind us. The X5 (with the possible exception of the auto transmission) is an exceptional piece of engineering.

After that trip, and a bit of research, I went out and bought a 2005 3.0d. I drove other brand diesels, and they all clackety clacked so much I couldn't consider anything else except the X5.

I also *love* the look of the X5. I think designing an SUV/SAV that doesn't look like a box is a real challenge and BMW did a class-changing job with the E53. I don't MIND the look of the E70, but I think they went backwards in exterior styling IMHO.

Some designs are just classics (as I think the E53 will be remembered in the future). Other classics, like the Porsche 928 started looking dated to me in the late 80's (20 years after first released), but still looks nice to me. 356's also look terrific but are very dated. Same goes for Porsche 944's. (Sorry for all the Porsche references, I had Porsches before the X5 which is my first BMW).

I think the E53 is a classic design that MIGHT start to date soon, but will always look good to me. The other features of the car are so good too (I always thought BMW's line about being a driver's car was just marketing BS, but with the X5, I'm convinced).

Maybe some small mods will resurect your love for the car?